NASA's Orion space capsule reaches the moon - marking the first time in 50 yearsIf all continues to go well, another engine firing will place the capsule into a lunar orbit on Friday and, by next weekend, it will shatter NASA's distance record for a spacecraft designed for astronauts.The craft whipped around the moon and passed within 80 miles (128km) - a fairly close approach which was caused by the capsule and its three test dummies being on the far side of the moon.As a result, flight controllers in Houston were faced with a half-hour communication blackout, meaning they did not know if a critical engine firing had been successful until the capsule emerged from behind the moon.As the capsule swung out from behind the moon, onboard cameras sent back a picture of Earth - a blue dot surrounded by blackness.If all continues to go well, another engine firing will place the capsule in that orbit on Friday and, by next weekend, it will shatter NASA's distance record for a spacecraft designed for astronauts."